I have been acting like an overactive little kid in a tiny candy store while waiting for the release of the new album from San Diego, California's Skelator. The band's new 16-track offering, titled Agents of Power, their third album overall, is classic US Metal at its purest and sharpest form. This time the guys decided to add an epic concept story to the album, "Elric: The Dragon Prince (A Tale of Tragic Destiny in 12 parts)," based on Michael Moorcock's tales. This concept story comprises tracks 5-15 and nothing makes an album more interesting and captivating than when you have a chance to read great lyrics while at the same time immersing your ears in the music.

As has been the case before, Skelator reminds me of a host of other bands, from Maiden to Manowar to Agent Steel to Omen, but they avoid ripping them off shamelessly or ruthlessly. They basically do everything in their own uncompromising style which is nothing short of great. One can hear from the whole album that this concept has undoubtedly been a very challenging task for the band to put together. The songs do not sound rushed but very detailed and thought out and the storyline for "Elric: The Dragon Prince" has been carefully constructed as well. With Agents of Power, Skelator prove to be a breath of fresh air in today's Heavy Metal world, recycling some of the best musical elements from the 80s in their own songs. I do admire the band's devotion to the golden 80s Metal period because for many of us that time will remain forever unbeatable. Agents of Power is a pretty amazing record altogether, especially for those that dig quality 80s Metal. Fuckin' A.